Under the muscle

Had my PM for over a year now. Still struggling with pain due to movement of PM. Struggling to find a Cardio to take me seriously - 1st one said "You have a PM get used to it. Second opinion said the pain I described - burning around the PM site was "impossible" and to put on a bit of weight! (Fat lot of use that would be, it would all be on my ass anyway!). Third one (After another 6 months of trying to deal with it through my very understanding GP who knows me and doesn't shove me in a labelled box) took one look and said "I can see the leads" and after a gentle examination - excruciating to the touch said "their is only a very thin layer of skin between the PM and the outside world - we'll have to move it pronto"
Going in on Tuesday to have it moved under the muscle.
Please God this works! I have a new grandson arriving on 16 Jan and would like to be able to join in the fun and games, also a lively 3-year old who will need lots of distracting.
Also will need my brain off pain-killers at least by then as I am writing exams for an Honours degree late Jan and studying needs more concentration than it used to!.
Recovery time? Pain to expect? advice on how to behave?Thanks all
Shirley.

5 Comments

burying it

by Tracey_E - 2012-12-13 11:12:41

SO glad you finally got someone to listen!!! If your skin is that thin, you are also at risk for the skin eroding which is a whole other can of worms. I can't believe two of them blew you off.

Best wishes for a fast recovery. Mine is buried, also. We all heal at different rates and have different tolerances for pain. I was on prescrips only the first couple of days and once or twice after that at night when I'd had a busy day. The rest of the time I got by fine on Tylenol. It would hurt if I overdid it or moved the wrong way, that's about it. It took about 6-8 weeks before I could bend/stretch in any direction without feeling it.

I found it helpful to pull out the sling when going in crowds where I was likely to get bumped or places like church where I typically greet everyone with a hug, sends the message to back off without having to tell everyone.

With kids, get down on the floor with them so they don't expect to be picked up. Maybe get some big brother presents- quiet things like books, puzzles, games the two of you can play together. Have someone hand you the baby rather than pick him up yourself. Where there's a will, there's a way! You'll figure it out :o) My kids are a year apart and were both toddlers when I got my first replacement. I got good at working around it until I could easily pick them both up again. You get through it.

Good luck!!!! And congratulations on your pending grandson, how exciting.

Suggestion for dealing with such docs

by ElectricFrank - 2012-12-14 02:12:07

I find that asking for a doctors diagnosis, prognosis, and suggested treatment IN WRITING can have an amazing effect on their interest in dealing with a problem. It is one thing for them to blow you off verbally, and quite another to do it in writing.

frank

Thanks

by shirley d - 2012-12-14 09:12:35

Great advice,
This time I am going to have a longer recovery period as school only starts again on 7 Jan. In fact I think I'm going to be overcautious to make sure the PM settles in well.
Also this time the PM will be sutured in place and I think that will help.
I love the "put it in writing " thing and think that will work well
Regards
Shirley

Finally !!

by donb - 2012-12-14 12:12:53

Hi Shirley, As an old PM veteran & also experiencing similar moving PM I'm happy to learn that "finally" you will get help In revising your implant. It's been a litlle over 2 weeks since having my 4th PM under muscle replaced & repositioned back under my muscle. AS I've had 3 previous PMs' just under my skin & it's always been a real pain as I'm a skinny (no fat) person.
My 4th PM was implanted under my muscle @ I've been completely happy, no pain, can work like a horse & also the healing recovery time was quite short. The negative side of my posting is that I completely ignored the fact that I even had a PM & got too ambitious. Yup, I managed to yank the sucker from it's pocket & moved it toward my armpit. Talk about pain !!
Well, as I mentioned above, I'm now sporting my 5th PM and have been trying to mentally convince my mind that at age 81 (this coming Jan 13th) I'd better forget th bullwork & take care of this fragile body. Moral of the story, having a PM definetly does not make us an invalid, but also one can't tackle the whole world with activity. And, good luck Shirley, you will be happy with your revision.
DonB

Help

by nanand - 2019-10-31 19:09:47

Can you please help confirm where were the leads placed if the PM was placed under the muscle; did they go under the muscle too; or were they under the skin.

 

Thank You 

You know you're wired when...

Like the Energizer Bunny, you keep going.

Member Quotes

Pacemakers are very reliable devices.